UTTARKASHI: In a first-of-its-kind attempt to control the population of feral dogs, which have become a threat to the elusive snow leopards in upper Himalayas, around 60 such dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated in Nelong Valley region of Gangotri National Park (GNP) in Uttarkashi district of Garhwal.
The first phase of the campaign was conducted in the first week of September by Helping Hand for Speechless Souls (HHSS), a Haridwar-based social organisation, with the support of the state forest department. The second phase will be conducted in October.
There are around 200 feral dogs in the Nelong Valley. Most are found near camps of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), where they easily get scraps of food.
‘Feral dogs pose major threat to wildlife, particularly snow leopards’These packs of feral dogs have become a major threat to wildlife, particularly snow leopards, as per forest officials.
RN Pandey, deputy director, GNP, said, "Usually, these dogs look calm and friendly but during night or when there is shortage of food, they start hunting wild animals like Blue Sheep, the main prey for snow leopards. They hunt in packs, giving them an edge over predators like snow leopard, red fox and brown bear. In some instances, dogs have also attacked army jawans and people visiting the area."
He added, "Considering the threat to endangered snow leopards, we decided to control the population of dogs. A Haridwar-based NGO, a team of veterinary doctors and trained dog catchers have been appointed for the task."
Shrikant Verma, veterinary doctor with HHSS, said, "A similar campaign had been conducted in Ladakh but this is the first time that it's been initiated at such a high-altitude area (11,000 feet) in Uttarakhand. In all, 56 dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated in Nelong, Tripani and Naga regions. We tried to catch the maximum number of dogs in the first phase but harsh terrain and climatic conditions of the Nelong region posed a challenge. Hopefully, we can complete the task in the second phase of the campaign."